SUPER BOWL WATCH: Parents' focus, ratings hopes

Jennifer Jones dances outsidethe Superdome before the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gene Puskar)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Around the Super Bowl and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of everything surrounding the game:

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TEAMS ARRIVE AT SUPERDOME

The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers have arrived at the Superdome.

The teams left their hotels in buses roughly 3½ before kickoff was scheduled Sunday.

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(NOT) PLAYING FAVORITES

Jack and Jackie Harbaugh know where they'll be after the Super Bowl.

"There's going to be one winner and one (son) that's going to be totally disappointed," Jack Harbaugh said. "Our thoughts go to that one that will not experience the thrill of victory."

With Baltimore Ravens coach John facing little brother Jim's San Francisco 49ers, the thrill of the NFL title game also puts Jack and Jackie in an awkward spot, knowing one son will celebrate the highlight of his career while the other will be absolutely gutted.

They got a "dry run" last season, when John's Ravens beat Jim's 49ers. On Thanksgiving Day.

"We opened the door to the Ravens locker room ... guys jumping up and down, the smile on John's face. They were just ecstatic," Jack Harbaugh said. "Then you realize that you're not needed here. So you walked across the hall to the 49ers locker room ... and finally saw Jim, all by himself in this room, just a table and a chair. He was still in his coaching outfit. His head was down in his hands and you looked into his eyes and you realized that this was where you're needed as a parent. Every single parent can identify with that.

"That thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. On Sunday night, we're going to experience both of those great emotions," Jack Harbaugh said.

— Nancy Armour — http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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ADS BONANZA

With 30-second spots going for as much as $4 million this year, the Super Bowl is advertising's biggest stage. Companies that shell out that cash want the more than 111 million viewers expected to tune in to remember their spot come Monday.

Most advertisers have released their ads already, trying to get a head start on capturing the buzz on social networks.

But some companies are still planning big reveals, including M&Ms, Chrysler, Oreo and BlackBerry.

"What we see on the night of the game is really important," said Kelly O'Keefe, professor at a professor, creative brand management, at the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter.

— Mae Anderson — http://twitter.com/maetron

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GEARED UP FOR THE GAME

Any fan can show their love for their favorite player by wearing a jersey. Four Baltimore Ravens are doing it with entire outfits.

In addition to the heavy painted leather coats he and his fellow "Ravens Posse" members are wearing, Rick Bowlus (far left) has linebacker Ray Lewis' number and face painted on his jeans.

— Nancy Armour — http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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RATINGS HOPES

Three years running, the Super Bowl has set a TV viewership record. CBS is hoping that happens again on Sunday.

Last year, NBC's broadcast hit an average audience of 111.3 million people.

But ratings are a mere point of pride for CBS heading into kickoff. The ads have already been sold (some at more than $4 million a pop), so the network can now only hope to put forth its best broadcast and redirect as much of the Super Bowl glow toward its other programs and its cable sports network.

Telecasters Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will call the game while more than 60 cameras cover the action — with at least one keeping an eye on the parents of 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

— Jake Coyle

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Brothers Jim Harbaugh, left, head coach for the San Francisco 49ers, and John Harbaugh, head coach for the Baltimore Ravens, arrive at a news conference for the upcoming Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

NO RG3 IN THE HOUSE

There's only one way Robert Griffin III wants to go to the Super Bowl.

As a player.

The electrifying Washington Redskins quarterback came to New Orleans to pick up The Associated Press 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year award. But he won't be going to Sunday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, planning to watch it with his family instead.

"I'm a firm believer you don't go to the Super Bowl unless you're playing in it," Griffin said.

— Nancy Armour — http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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HERE COME NINER BETTORS

After heavy betting on the Baltimore Ravens, sports betting professionals and last-minute casual bettors in Las Vegas and around the world are heavily swinging toward San Francisco.

The 49ers were favored by 5 points when betting action started two weeks ago, meaning San Francisco bettors need them to win by at least two field goals to collect. But the spread encouraged lots of bettors to take Baltimore, pushing the line down to 3½. Now, San Francisco supporters have moved the line back up to 4 points in most sports books and 4½ in others, according to gambling expert R.J. Bell of Pregame.com.

Bell says that a few days ago, nearly two-thirds of the bets taken in Las Vegas and online sports books offshore were on the Ravens. It's close to 50-50 now and the 49ers are closing the gap quickly in the hours before the game.

Adjustments to the line are encouraging bettors on the fence to pick sides.

"The moves are taking a lot of money right now," Bell said.

An estimated $10 billion is expected to be wagered on the Super Bowl, with less than 1 percent of that coming from legal sports books in Nevada, Bell says.

— Oskar Garcia — http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

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VAMOS CUERVOS

Rodolfo Rodriguez is in New Orleans all the way from Monterrey, Mexico, to cheer on his "Cuervos," the Spanish name for the Baltimore Ravens.

He's predicting a 28-24 Baltimore victory over San Francisco.

Rodriguez spent part of his weekend on Super Bowl Boulevard at Woldenberg Riverfront Park, waving toward a cruise ship arriving on the Mississippi River into the Port of New Orleans near the large Roman numerals for the Super Bowl.

— Julio Cortez — http://twitter.com/juliocortez_ap

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LIL WAYNE ROOTING AGAINST SF

The San Francisco 49ers prevented Lil Wayne's favorite team, the Green Bay Packers, from going to the Super Bowl. So the rapper wants the Baltimore Ravens to get a little revenge on his behalf.

"I'm salty about the team that beat us, so I gotta root against them, and that team is the 49ers," he said.

But his desire isn't all based on bitterness.

"Who doesn't want to see (Ravens linebacker) Ray Lewis succeed? And also who also doesn't want to see (49ers wide receiver) Randy Moss get his first ring as well?" he said.

"I'm kind of iffy about this game. I don't mind the outcome of it, I think either or, it's gonna be beautiful for both of them."

Lil Wayne plans to be in a suite for the game — after all, it's in his hometown. His friends and family all wanted tickets.

"I had to pay for those tickets and my team isn't even playing in that game — ah man, that hit the pockets kind of hard," he laughed.

Lil Wayne is well-documented sports fanatic.

— Nekesa Mumbi Moody — http://twitter.com/nekesamumbi

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BROTHERLY ADVICE: AARON RODGERS

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh are hardly the only high-profile siblings who've squared off in their arena of expertise. The AP is asking some others who can relate how to handle going against a family member in the Super Bowl.

Rodolfo Rodriguez, center right, of Monterrey, Mexico, waves at a cruise ship arriving into the Port of New Orleans near the Roman numerals for Super Bowl XLVII at Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, in New Orleans. The city will host NFL football's Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

As the middle of three brothers, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers knows a thing or two about high-stakes competitions with siblings. It wouldn't matter if he was facing one of his brothers in the backyard or the sport's biggest stage.

Less than two years separates Rodgers and his older brother, Luke, now on Fuel TV's "Clean Break," and the two are "very competitive."

"My older brother and I had a lot of great matchups, great one-on-one games. We competed a lot in sports," Rodgers said.

There's still a chance Rodgers could wind up facing one of his brothers on the field, maybe even at the Super Bowl. Jordan Rodgers led Vanderbilt to its first nine-win record since 1915 last season and is now preparing for the NFL draft.

"I hope so," Rodgers said of the prospects of a "Rodgers Bowl." ''And I hope we would win if that ever happened."

— Nancy Armour — http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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TWITTER BUZZ BUILDING

Americans on Twitter are already buzzing about the Super Bowl with about 6 hours until the game kicks off.

Four terms related to the game between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are trending in the United States: "Happy Super Bowl Sunday," ''49ers," ''Beyonce" and "Ray Lewis."

None, however, are trending worldwide yet.

— Oskar Garcia — http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

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GUN AD

Washington lawmakers watching the Super Bowl in the beltway are getting a 30-second visit from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's gun control group.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition of more than 900 mayors in 48 states, paid six figures for the local spot, according to a Bloomberg spokesman.

The ad calls on lawmakers to pass rules requiring background checks on guns. It is narrated by children with "America the Beautiful" playing in the background.

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QUICKQUOTE: ANDREW LUCK

Andrew Luck has high praise for San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, his old coach at Stanford. Even if he did pick an unusual way to express it.

"I always enjoyed playing under coach Harbaugh. He always brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm," the Indianapolis Colts quarterback said. "He was the type of guy you'd want in an alley fight with you. You could tell he wanted to win just as bad as the next guy."

— Nancy Armour — http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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EDITOR'S NOTE — "Super Bowl Watch" shows you the Super Bowl and the events surrounding the game through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across New Orleans and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.